INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1862. 285 



Chemical and Pharmaceutical Products. This is a class of 1861. 

 articles the exhibition of which draws forth a far more competi- Ommonsense 

 tive spirit than the last ; and considering the progress that manu- recommended, 

 facturing chemistry has made during the last few years, and the 

 liberal character of our import duties, there cannot fail to be an 

 ample display of contributions, both British and foreign. The ex- 

 perience of former Exhibitions does not suggest many remarks re- 

 garding this class of substances. I may, however, mention that 

 enormous specimens of crystallized salts, such as the ferrocyanide 

 of potassium, sulphate of copper, &c., shown in Paris in 1855, are 

 less indicative of the goodness of the articles than of the 

 expense and trouble of conveying them from the manufactory to 

 the place of exhibition. Hydrochloric or sulphuric acids, in 

 glass jars containing gallons (such as I saw in Paris in 1855), 

 are also quite as efficiently represented by smaller samples. 

 The excessive absurdity of an entire case filled with dozens of 

 bottles of cod-liver oil, of one and the same sort, all properly 

 sealed and labelled, and apparently ready for sale, need not be 

 insisted on, and we may well wonder that such a display should 

 be admitted. Specimens again, which are exhibited chiefly for 

 their beauty of appearance, and which are evidence of no special 

 skill on the part of the manufacturer, should bring little credit 

 to the exhibitor. Of how much greater scientific value was the 

 series of Dr. Frankland's organic radicals in the Paris Exhibition, 

 than the heaps of brilliant, iridescent bismuth that so plentifully 

 decorated the cases of many of the French chemical manu- 

 facturers. 



Manner of Exhibition. Under this head I would say a few Containing 

 words regarding the bottles and other receptacles in which vessels - 

 specimens should be placed. In the Paris Exhibition there were 

 vessels of honour, and vessels of dishonour, stone bottles, 

 utterly impervious to light, and vases so elaborately cut and 

 gilt that their contents were hardly more perceptible. Of course 

 such extremes should be avoided ; moreover, bottles should not 

 (except where essential for the preservation of the specimens) 

 be hermetically closed, but should be fitted with such covers 

 that the contents can be readily examined by those authorized 



